People in the military and law enforcement kill people every day.
Supporters of these killers considered such killing to be
necessary. Instead I ask why these killers put themselves in such
situations. Shouldn't we avoid these situations? Perhaps we have
found too many reasons to kill each other. What would you do to
avoid killing someone?

I find that mythology can be used to put ethical ideas in
perspective. Image a supreme arbiter of right and wrong. Let us
suppose this arbiter wrote on a stone tablet, "Thou shall not
kill another person." Under this line he wrote, "No exceptions."
He then wrote, "It is the responsibility of each person to find a
path in life that avoids Killing."

A soldier who kills another person in war or a police officer who
kills a person while enforcing a law is violating the rule of the
arbiter. Remember the arbiter said, "No exceptions." These people
have failed to find an alternative path. Instead they put
themselves in a position where they killed another person.

Let us suppose the arbiter adds more rules. He wrote, "Anyone who
is a member of an organization that that kills another person is
also guilty of the murder. These organizations include nations
and religions." This rule makes it our duty not to belong to any
groups who murder other people. The arbiter them wrote, "You must
help these organizations stop killing."

Some people might find the rules of the arbiter too difficult to
follow. These people do not have the courage or strength to obey
the arbiter. Instead such people prefer inferior ethical
doctrines such as the Christian Bible, the Muslim Koran, the
Hindu Gita or the American Constitution. Such documents are full
of loopholes, exceptions and excuses that permit a person to kill
another person.

I think it would be better to follow the rules of the arbiter.
Let us find ways to avoid killing people. Let us not join
organizations that kill. Let us build a path in life where we can
avoid killing. Let us not put ourselves in situations where we
feel a need to kill. Let us help all people to find a better
path.

Some of you might say that my arbiter myth is unrealistic. You
might say that situations will come up where we are unable to
follow the rules of the arbiter. The arbiter then wrote one final
line on his tablet, "I check with the goddess of fortune. She
told me that we should never think that we must kill. There is
always an alternative Path. Look and you will find that path."